CHILDREN living in Hampshire are getting the best start in life but more can be done to help those growing up in Southampton, Government inspectors say.

Children’s services in Hampshire have been praised for being “excellent”

by Ofsted inspectors, boasting major strengths in schools, children’s homes and adoption.

However services in Southampton failed to get such a glittering report, with inspectors judging the city to be “adequate”

with major challenges still to be tackled.

Hampshire is one of only 20 local authorities nationally scooping the highest rating in the latest annual assessment by the Ofsted team.

The county council was praised for its “unrelenting focus on improving outcomes for children and young people and the quality of services provided for them”.

The report recognised that children and young people were helped to achieve well at school and encouraged to lead safer and healthier lifestyles.

But for Southampton’s children’s services, the picture was not so rosy, failing to reduce the number of under-18s getting pregnant and a rise in the number of children admitted to hospital from unintentional or deliberate injury.

Inspectors highlighted that “too many secondary schools are only satisfactory” and poor school attendance well above average.

Other areas of concern included the authority’s two children’s homes which were falling behind those run by private or voluntary organisations. The report said: “Major challenges remain, not least in continuing to raise attainment and improving the quality of secondary schools.”

In England 77 authorities were considered performing well, while 37 were providing adequate services and 12 were classed as poor.